“Me, I just want to play football because I enjoy it, I love playing. I enjoy helping my team-mates, I enjoy playing against the big players and teams. I want to carry on in that way.

“Some people have the mentality that they want to do that, to try something different. But for me, I want to play more football.

“Look at my friend Ibrahimovic. He’s 35 and he’s going to play for maybe three more years. He’s got the same mentality as me; he’s a big player, a champion who loves football.

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Yaya Toure played alongside Zlatan Ibrahimovic at Barcelona

“It’s football first. Anything after that is a bonus, you can be lucky to go and play for big clubs and still earn a lot of money. But those who go to China….I don’t think like that.”

Toure’s days at City looked numbered when he was frozen out by Pep Guardiola back in August. But he has been a rejuvenated figure since returning to the team in the last two months and now hopes to extend his seven-year spell at the Etihad.

“Staying at City would be perfect for me,” he added. “I’ve said before that I’ve been involved with a lot of clubs. But especially at City, I want to give something back to the fans. I’d like to continue to work hard for them, keep giving them entertainment, keep them happy.

“In the end, I know myself. If I was tired, I’d say ‘no more, move on’. But I don’t feel like that, I feel very, very good. I feel young.”